Investigation on a Novel Leaky Wave Antenna with Double Radiation Beam Composed of Left-handed Slab Loaded Hybrid Waveguide using Planar Technology

A novel leaky wave antenna with double radiation beam composed of left-handed slab loaded hybrid waveguide using planar technology is proposed in this paper and its leaky characteristics are investigated with a method that the multimode network theory is combined with mode-matching method. The study of dispersion curves reveals that the proposed antenna structure supports two leaky modes corresponding to the forward and the backward radiations respectively. It demonstrates that the proposed antenna is of desirable property that can radiate both forward and backward directions simultaneously with quite simple and flexible configuration. Extensive numerical results of leaky characteristics with different structural parameters of the antenna are given to provide useful guidelines for the design of the new antenna.